I called the breakwater cafe to ensure that dogs were allowed on their patio. The man on the phone said that they were allowed. Once I arrived with my dog, the hostess told us that dogs were not allowed! I was really disappointed in the way she handled the situation. She was not apologetic when I told her that one of the staff members told me that they were allowed! I thought she had a very poor attitude which was very frustrating. We ended up tying our dog just outside the patio where we could see him. Once we were seated the service did not get any better. Our drinks ended up coming after our food! It was not even that busy. Our waitress never refilled our water and she seemed annoyed to be working. The food wasn't bad but the service we received from the three different people we came in contact with was awful! read more

Definitely worth visiting for the beer. Recommend the Flagship IPA & my husband preferred Solars Peach Ale. Had a flight:4 only $10 Canadian dollars. Fish & chips pretty good. Interesting batter. Kid friendly. Spiked Lemonade tasty & refreshing. Wish I had more time but gotta get back to the ship. read more

I came here on a recommendation from a friend who said the sea wall walk was a great way to spend a sunny afternoon and that the cafe was to die for. She was right! I didn't plan on having a late lunch here and was just going to get a small snack but the chicken burger just sounded so good. Cajun grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, tomato, onions, lettuce and garlic aioli. It came with a choice of soup or salad and I chose the caesar salad. The burger: I WILL HAVE DREAMS ABOUT THIS BURGER! Every aspect of it was the best I have ever had. The chicken was crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside but not so much so that it made a huge mess, the spice was ideal, lots of flavour but not overly hot. SHeese was flavourful and not just... there, it added something to the burger for once. The garlic Aioli was so creamy and fresh. Let me tell you about this bun, oh my word was it ever the world's most perfect burger bun. It was buttery and soft and wonderful. The salad was, a good salad, not much to say about it really, mixed green, mini tomatoes, cuces and shaved carrots with your choice of dressing. The view both inside and outside is spectacular, always gives you something to look at and there is lots of seating for small and large groups. The staff are friendly and warm, super helpful and full of recommendations. I went back in to get a hot coco for my walk and had a fun chat with the barista. The hot coco was creamy and chocolaty and covered in whipped cream. None of that tastes like powdered hot coco stuff. this was the real deal. This place is a Must Much! read more

Visiting Victoria for the first time from sunny California... I just met Sam from the Breakwater Cafe today after a freezing stroll down the Ogden Point Breakwater. Sam is now my favorite Canadian in the world, and probabaly the nicest Canadian I've ever met. And that's saying a lot since Canadians are known to be the nicest species on the planet. If you're visiting the cafe, meet Sam, and he just might make your rainy/cloudy/chilly day a little brighter and a little warmer. If your name is Camille but spelled a little differently, you should date Sam :) About the cafe: there's a fireplace and soup for anyone else like me who is a pansy when it comes to cold weather. 10/10 would recommend. read more

I was really impressed. I have all good to say and one minor thing not-so-good, but it's just minor. First, I'll start with the amazing view at the waterfront! What a wonderful place to dine outside with friends. They have indoor and outdoor dining with heaters outside, if it gets too chilly. The server had to deal with a party of 10 of us. That's always a challenge, but she handled it very well, without getting flustered. She was very gracious and our food was delicious. I highly recommend the perogie appetizer. The only thing was it was a bit crowded to fit a party like that. We had to jam together. The place doesn't have a ton of space. However, this restaurant comes highly recommended by all 10 of us! read more

Great little place for breakfast. Just off the water so you have a view of the ocean and mountains when you sit down. You order your food at the front, pick up your silverware and condiments and take your food go sit and enjoy a good breakfast. They are fairly priced , coffee was okay not super impressed with the drip but the Americano was good. read more

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My husband and I went for breakfast. It's not really a breakfast restaurant. The eggs were incredibly bland and appeared to be microwaved (or at least scooped into a bowl from a mass produced pile of eggs). The bagel was fine. My husband's waffle wasn't bad but certainly not the best. Coffee was fine ($2.00 per cup). The pros: the view was lovely. Sitting outside was delightful. The staff was fine, also. Bottom line: not really a breakfast point; maybe for a dessert later in the day. read more

happy hour is amazing here. so cheap and good food. great patio

While the mass of humanity exits the numerous cruise ships that port in Victoria and rush to get downtown, do yourself a favor and walk to your right and visit Breakwater. The beer was excellent and the atmosphere was even better. The bartender and waitstaff were polite, attentive, and personable. The water is visible from the awesome outdoor patio and we loved the river rock fire pit and warming lights above. We were only in port a few hours but this was our first and last spot to visit. Excellent time! read more

This is the best food in Victoria. We ate in the downstairs zone which features a Mexican menu. We were informed that the chef used to work at the world famous Pujol in Mexico City. And you can tell from the food that this is legit. The best tacos outside of mexico we've ever had. The corn they use for the tacos is heirloom and imported from Oaxaca and they make each tortilla fresh with your order. Way way above expectations. read more

Stopped in for lunch just before the Royals dropped in, perhaps that's the reason the food was so good. I had soup (a little bland, but pepper improved the flavor) and the quinoa salad, both were delicious. My husband enjoyed his Cesar salad and the yummy squash soup. Our son devoured his burger and potato salad. The view was lovely, the service prompt and efficient, and the crowd provided excellent people watching. read more

Food is fantastic , view in amazing . Find that the male staff members are rude and find you to be a waste of their time . Particularly one shorter male with a beard , usually keeps a pen in his ear . I will let people pass me in line to not have him take my order. This place has turned into our go to spot and have been there 6 times in 3 days , and we have receive brutal service from the male servers each time. Lovely place to sit and eat , just make sure you stay clear of their male employees. read more

Stopped in around 4pm. Tried to order but found staff unresponsive. Told it was ,to go only section. Instructed to go into restaurant. In restaurant told waitress we only wanted coffee, tea and a croissant. The croissant seemed to be on special...$2 Tea, we ordered with honey. When the items arrived, tea was luke warm and the coffee must have gone through filter twice. Yuk! The croissant was rock hard and should have been free! Never recommend this place unless your desperate to spend money. read more

Nice menu, good food, great location, but they play very loud background music so everyone in the cafe on a peaceful rainy afternoon was yelling to be heard. It was loud!! We asked if they could turn the music down, the waiter looked terrified and said probably not, the manager wouldn't let them. It was hard to converse, and felt so nice to leave and get out in the open, away from those blasting speakers. We will find a less noisy place in the future. read more

The food here is so good - the restaurant down bow has some of the best tacos I have ever had. The service is great and the patio as all ocean / mountain views. highly recommend. read more

BEST Irish Coffee in town with a view of the water! has a nice decor too! It will definetly be a tradition!

Way too expensive for below average food. I've been here a few times. The last time, I ordered a tiny snack that cost me over $5, and while it should have been heated, it was not. Everything else is overpriced and either average or below. I'm giving it two stars because the view is excellent and the beer is good. I'm sure the amount of customers they have is primarily due to the location and not the quality of the cafe. read more

I'm a lifelong Victoria resident, and have lived in James Bay for the past 10 years. I used to come here with my folks and my kids quite a bit. We all met at Ogden Point Cafe at about 9:30AM on Saturday, May 10, and it was not great. Simply put, the prices are high and the service is terrible. I don't know how you can provide lousy service in a cafeteria-style setup, but the staff managed to do it. Unfriendly. No eye contact. No attempt to present us with what we had ordered. Instructing us to budge in front of other customers to reach for our orders. Chipped coffee mug. No big deal, but on the other hand this place is expensive, so I expect a minimum of service and politeness in exchange for the touri$t markup. If the cashier resented the fact I did not leave a tip, well, this is why. The counter staff should also know that when I go to places with genuinely friendly staff, like Bean Around the World or Serious, I do tip. Maybe the employees aren't paid enough, which accounts for their lousy attitude. It's no big deal, I'm a local and should know better than to go to a tourist trap like Ogden Point Cafe, but I do remember when the service was better and the food was cheaper. read more

I really want to like this place. It's in a beautiful location with beautiful views. It's stumbling distance from my house. They have a lot of delicious-sounding items on their menu. However, I'll likely be avoiding them in the future due to their poor service. They have counter-style service for Lunch, which I've been to once without a huge issue. However, at dinner time, they change over to full service, and it is extremely slow. A few months ago, I came for late dinner with some friends because a musician we really liked was playing. The service was extremely inconsistent. It took a long time after being seated to have our drink orders taken, and although I had ordered a salad and the others had ordered more involved food, my salad came last. Like, 20 minutes later than the others' entrees. The salad was good... but not good enough to explain the delay. It was kale. And caesar dressing. Recently, they advertised Thanksgiving dinner on Facebook. My husband and I were dining alone this year, and this sounded promising, so we decided to check it out. We were seated, and then promptly ignored. For 20 minutes. No exaggeration. Someone came by and cleaned tables near us while we sat there with no water and no drinks. Then another group was seated nearby. A waitress came over to them and brought them water and took their order, all while we were still sitting feeling invisible. We tried to catch her attention, but she walked away. At that point, we got up to get the hostesses' attention (the same one who had seated us), and she smiled at us and said "Thanks guys, have a great night!." Sigh. So we asked to speak to the manager, who was really nice and had a multitude of excuses ("we were changing over from lunch to dinner" - yes, over an hour ago...; "that waitress is really new and I'll speak to her" - but, she seemed to serve the tables around us just fine; etc.). To his credit, he did offer us drinks on the house, but at that point we were so unhappy we went elsewhere. Think I'll give it a miss from now on. read more

Waited a ridiculous amount of time before someone even acknowledged our presence. When we finally ordered, another server had walked off with what must be the only Interac machine in the place. As we stood there and waited he only looked at and smiled at the server, ignoring us as we waited for him to finish. Skip this place. Busy or not, surely you have time to just acknowledge a customer's presence or perhaps even say, "I am sorry for the wait", "I'll be right with you." Customer Service 101 stuff, folks. read more

Saw the bartender put his hands in the olive jar filled water with no gloves on seemed in unhygienic. Also came in another time and it smelled of septic. The view is nice. read more

The fabulous, ocean view of the Ogden Point breakwater isn't the only spectacular thing the Ogden Point Cafe has to offer. Often referred to as, 'the dive shop" it is no dive, it's only a reference as there is a dive shop on the bottom floor. What OPC does offer is the best corn bread around, as well as other cafeteria favorites done to a superior standard. One of my favs is the vegetarian chilli, but I only order that when the soup choice doesn't suit my craving. The soup, like today's Southwest Pumpkin, is fresh and screams homemade. I always recommend something out of the dessert section, but be sure you have a mate to share it with, or not, depending how you feel about you're waistline. The cheesecake is decadent and huge, but worth every bite. The service, over the years has never dwindled, the staff is always great. My only beef is the line up, but then again good food is worth standing in line for. read more

Breakwater - Cafes Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

This used to be one of my favorite little places to go in Victoria when I lived here prior to 2008. Sadly, it has changed management, and with it, the food and service appear to have changed too. They seem to have added a bar along one side of the cafe, which drastically cuts the number of tables and completely changes the atmosphere of the place. The friendly local atmosphere no longer exists, and prices are higher than ever. Even though there are more staff than ever behind the counter, the service takes forever with many mistakes and mix-ups in orders. Everyone at my table ordered a clam chowder and a hot drink, but despite the staff microwaving all of the food before serving, everyone received lukewarm beverages and nearly cold soup! Due to a mixed up order, one of my party had to wait almost 20 minutes for their drink (standing at the counter since it seems they no longer serve you at your table if your order takes time to make), and the drink was barely hot. I ordered a simple sausage roll, and not only was the roll cold, it was completely STALE. I couldn't even cut through the pastry with my knife. It's no wonder there only seemed to be tourists eating there now! The only redeeming feature is the view, which doesn't make it worth going inside. Extremely disappointed!! read more

I and eaten here before in Feb and was very pleased with the food and availability of wifi the location is wonderful BUT when I was just there in May and stopped by for breakfast and wifi. They Did Not Offer WIFI. I am very disappointed in their inconsistent service and will not return in the future. When I told them of my disappointment they didn't seem to care at all. read more

Very poor costumer relations. They have a website and Facebook. Both have un clear outdated menus. I have messaged both there Facebook account and sent them a email to the address on there website more than once asking if they have a updated online menu weeks have gone by with no response. They used to have a menu outside on the walkway but they have removed it a few years ago. I would like to thy a meal there but want to see a menu first. read more

How can you beat the location? Would highly recommend for a date or a night out with friends/family. You get a freakin' panoramic view of the water, you can see the States off in the distance, often massive ships will be entering or leaving the harbour, and the massive glass windows let you watch it all as you enjoy a great meal! Service could've stepped their game up a bit - I had to ask for water twice before she finally brought it and by then I was almost done my meal. First world problems though, right? read more

If you're looking for a nice view with patio seating, especially after a walk along the breakwater, then this is a great stop. However, prices are a bit expensive, and coffee refills are $0.80 which is a massive bummer! The food is good, but nothing that'll make you crave coming back for more. I ordered the tuna wrap with a side salad. The tuna was flaked and I could have easily believed it came from a can, but I'll make an educated assumption that his wasn't the case! The wrap also consisted of lettuce and tomato. Pretty standard. I ordered my side salad with dill yogurt dressing which was definitely nice, but again, pretty standard as well! I also tried their cole slaw which was the regular mixture of cabbage, carrots, and the like... however the mayo was very very very light which was odd for cole slaw, but pleasantly preferred! Overall, this is a great place to pop in for some after-breakwater walks, but no where I'd drive out of the way to get to. read more

Went for early lunch. Service good. We had 3 breakwater hamburgers. All dry - over cooked and pan fried potatoes overcooked.

Great spot on the water and excellent atmosphere! The restaurant is cafeteria style during the day and full service after 4pm. Live music (Wednesday and Saturday nights), good food and nice beer selection. They also open their food truck called the Kraken in the summertime which has an outdoor patio area with lots of sun. On Fridays evenings (from 4pm -9pm) in June and July they have barge a few steps away which is definitely worth checking out, it's free to get on, there are drinks and food as well as live music featuring some local bands. The barge can only fit 300 people so best to get there early if you don't want to wait in line. read more

Went for lunch and it's hard to imagine a nicer spot on a sunny Victoria Day. Sandwich was on point (pardon the pun) and service was prompt and friendly. Great selection of craft beers! I didn't take a photo of the view from the patio but it is 10/10! read more

Great views, decent food but VERY mediocre service. Have been renovating a condo a block away on weekends and this has been my weekly go-to spot for dinner since July. Pros: - great view! - good local beer - average but reasonably priced food - never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table (in 11 visits, so far) Cons: - food orders have been incorrectly filled more than half the time - staff are quite young and seem untrained as to how to react when a mistake is mentioned. - during most recent visit, had to ask 3(!) times for my 6 year olds hamburger. During final request, server promised it would be "rushed" after checking with kitchen, who said no more than 8 minutes. 31 minutes later, hamburger arrived. Other diners in my party had already left. I had finished my meal more than 40 minutes earlier. No apology, no acknowledgement of anything out of ordinary. This experience was the worst, but have had several others where staff seem completely ambivalent if there is anything beyond basic order taking and delivery of food/ drink. - This is mostly a reflection on managements lack of awareness. I have recommended the Breakwater Cafe, but with above mentioned caveats. In most cases, my friends have chosen someplace else. - Sad; I really want to like this place. Decent enough food and great view is not enough to make up for consistently disappointing experiences. read more

Besides the service being sloooow, the food was very good, the beer tasty, and the tap water delicious. Yes, the tap water was really good!

I haven't eaten the food though it looks good. Normally just here for a coffee while walking on the breakwater or for a pint on a sunny afternoon. Great for both events with good coffee and a fine selection of beers. read more

Had to ask for service about 10 min after sitting down, and service continued to be slow throughout. If you're not in a hurry it's fine. The fish tacos were mediocre, but they have a decent beer and wine selection, so this is a better place to go for drinks only. read more

It took exactly 50 minutes from payment to finally getting my order of 3 pretty simple items: beet salad (which had zero beets in it), turkey club, and chili. The food was great but the service just lagged. There was an unfortunate spill then all of a sudden our numbers were taken away while we were still waiting for or food, and that's when it went downhill. That was around the 25-30 minute mark of waiting. Then it was a clustercuss after that, trying to get our order figured out. And they ran out of chowder in the process which was the only thing my daughter would have eaten. read more

Paul and I visited the Breakwater Cafe and Bistro which had just been renovated since our last visit... looking for coffee and a muffin... I wasn't impressed at first because there was not much food on display, as before, except for a coffee bar... disappointed, I suggested to my friend that we leave... we happened to be standing beside a tall gentleman standing near the entrance who overheard me... He introduced himself as the owner, Michael, and offered to buy us both coffee and a muffin... needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised and couldn't refuse. He sat us down in a booth with a great view of the ocean and the breakwater landing. The bran muffin (with nuts) was unbelievably fresh and delicious. The coffee (bottomless) was superb and the waitresses, besides being beautiful, were most accommodating and friendly. What else can I say... you will not be disappointed. Thanks, Michael, for your hospitality. read more

Second time here. First was not memorable, nor the second. Chowder was pasty and cold :( Service feels like customers are an imposition. Is it still around because of its location? read more

Food and prices were decent but five stars for the views. You can see cruise ships, ferries and the Olympic Mountains in the US just across the strait. Many people pay three times the price for similar views elsewhere in places like LA. Beautiful with immediate access to the breakwater. read more

I sat at the bar for the Grey Cup and the bartender did not talk to me or even look at me. Then he continued to talk to a waitress for another 5 minutes. i made eye contact with her a couple times but still nothing happened. i was in there for over 10 minutes. i walked out. read more

I ordered sticky toffee and its just out of the world. My husband doesn't like sweets as much and he asked me to order a second one.. Must have :) read more